Aerial drop assembly for emergency supplies



p 1967 J. B. BEHRENDT 3,342,439

AERIAL DROP ASSEMBLY FOR EMERGENCY SUPPLIES Filed Aug. 5, 1965 United States Patent 3542,43? AERIAL DROP ASSEMBLY FOR EMERGENCY SUPPLIES Jack B. Behrendt, 3101 E. Palos Verdes Drive, San Pedro, Calif. 90732 Filed Aug. 3, 1965, Ser. No. 476,908 18 Claims. (Cl. 244138) This invention relates to devices for lowering emergency supplies to the ground from an aircraft via an aerial drop and more particularly to an improved, inexpensive throw-away assembly adapted to be compactly packaged for shipment to the place of use and there assembled about the emergency supplies without need for fasteners or adhesives and operating to open automatically from air currents passing over the assembly during the initial stage of the drop. The drop assembly utilizes a collapsible container sized to receive a conventional shipping carton housing the goods or supplies to be dropped. The collapsible container has a unitary closure integral with the container side walls and is foldable against a compactly folded bag-like parachute of impervious and preferably waterproof material completely surrounding the carton of goods. The side walls of the parachute in areas thereof above the carton are formed with air inlets through which air enters causing the parachute blossom as the assembly starts to drop away from the delivery aircraft. Goods are quickly prepared for aerial drop delivery by securing an individual carton in the open end of the waterproof parachute bag and then inserting this assembly into the above mentioned collapsible container along with a suitable shock absorbing cushion. The entire assembly is inexpensive and expendable, the parachute being made from impervious plastic film and the container from conventional packaging material, as double faced corrugated paperboard.

There have been various attempts to provide an inexpensive, efiicient and reliable device for lowering emergency supplies to the ground from an airplane to meet various needs. Some of these devices, though serving the purposes, are subject to numerous shortcomings and disadvantages because of the complexity of the equipment, its high cost, the skill and time required for its assembly and use, and other defects. It is the primary object of the present invention to overcome these various shortcomings and disadvantages of prior devices of this type and to provide an assembly which is so simple and inexpensive that it can be thrown away after a single use. All components are made from inexpensive readily-available materials capable of being compactly packaged until required for use and then assembled about the supplies to be dropped without need for tools or fastener devices of any kind other than simple cording or the like to secure the parachute to the package to be delivered.

a The invention assembly includes three principal components in addition to a conventional package containing the emergency supplies themselves, namely, an outer container, a lightweight cushion and a simple one-piece parachute. The outer container is preferably made or ordinary corrugated paper, the cushion from sponge plastic, or the like, preferably covered on its opposed faces with protective sheeting, and a parachute formed of soft film-like sheet plastic formed by heat sealing into an elongated open mouth bag. The emergency supplies are secured to or wrapped in the open end of the parachute bag and then inserted into the outer container following which the closed end of the parachute is folded against the top of the emergency supplies and thereafter the flaps of the outer container are internested and folded fiat against he folded parachute. This assembly is then borne aloft and when the aircraft is over the delivery area, the assembly is dropped from the side of the craft as its top flap is pulled upwardly to expose the parachute. The latter opens and is inflated by air entering through slits formed in its side Wall. The aerodynamic effect of the upright top flaps serve to hold the load in a canted position so that the rising air currents supplement the action of the parachute in supporting the load as it is lowered to a relatively soft landing at which time the cushion provides additional protection against damage to the supplies.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved, inexpensive throw-away aerial drop assembly for lowering emergency supplies from an aircraft to the ground.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a simple, three-piece assembly capable of being assembled without fasteners or tools about emergency supplies and used in lowering the same gently to earth from an aircraft.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a simple, easily-constructed collapsible outer container readily assembled in the field without tools into a compact enclosure for a parachute and emergency supplies.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a one-piece extremely compact, inexpensive parachute formed of film-like heat scalable plastic material adapted to have emergency supplies tied to its open end and the parachute being automatically inflatable while being dropped from an aircraft to slow the descent of the supplies to the ground.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means and a method of packaging emergency supplies with a one-piece parachute and an enclosing protective container which, when open, is effective to supplement the action of the parachute in slowing the descent of the supplies to the ground.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawings to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the outer con tainer disassembled and collapsed into a flat compact unit;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the outer container in substantially fully assembled condition;

FIGURE 3 is a view of the emergency aerial drop in readiness for dropping from an aircraft and showing parts broken away for clarity;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale showing the completed assembly with the main top flap in open position; and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the completed assembly-after being dropped and with the parachute fully inflated.

Referring first more particularly to FIGURE 5, there is shown an aerial drop for emergency supplies designated generally 10 as it appears while being lowered to the ground from an aircraft. Assembly 10 includes a onepiece bag-like parachute 11 having its lower inlet end secured to the central top portion of the emergency supplies and packaged in an outer protective container 12. The top of this container 12 includes a main closure flap 13 upstanding along three side walls of the carton and a second flap 14 folded inwardly and held in this position across the top of carton 12 in a manner to be described more fully below.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, it will be understood that the outer protective container 12 is there shown in collapsed condition. This unit is preferably made of double faced corrugated stock which, if desired, may be coated with water-proofing to safeguard it against penetration by moisture. The unit preferably comprises a onepiece tubular assembly open at both ends and provided with four lengthwise creases to facilitate its extension into a four-sided carton of any suitable configuration, such as that illustrated in FIGURE 5. Extending beyond the opposite ends of the main body are specially formed flaps. The flaps at the lower or left-hand end as viewed in FIGURE 1 are preferably so formed as to interlock with one another to provide a strong bottom closure without need for fasteners, adhesives, or tapes to hold them in assembled position. One simple and effective way of forming the flaps for this purpose is illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 wherein the flaps comprise one pair 16 and 18 having an area corresponding to the interior bottom of the carton and four other flaps 19, 20, 21 and 22 of approximately one-half the area of the carton bottom. Larger flaps 16 and 18 are hingedly attached to opposed rim edges of the main body whereas the remaining flaps are similarly attached to the other pair of opposed sides. Each of the flaps is scored tranversely of their midlengths as indicated by the dotted lines 23, 24 to facilitate folding and interlocking assembly of the flaps.

The bottom assembly operation is carried out by first extending the main body into its expanded condition. Flaps 20 and 22 along the opposite lateral edges of flap 18 are then folded inwardly along their respective hinge lines 23, 24, so that the two halves of each flap are in direct contact with one another. These folded flaps are next hinged inwardly to lie flush with the bottom of the carton following which the intervening large flap 18 is folded inwardly to lie flush against the bottom of the carton following which its free edge is folded inwardly along crease line 23 and until its free edge lies flush against the interior side of the carton bottom. The remaining flaps 19 and 21 are then folded in the same manner as flaps 20 and 22 following which the free edge of flap 16 is fed upwardly past the crease line 23 of flap 18 until fully inserted after which its free edge is folded over against the free edges of flaps 19 and 21.

The flaps at the other end of the carton unit 12 are best shown in FIGURES 1 and 3. These flaps include a large flap 13 formed in three portions 26a, 26b and 26c hingedly connected at 27 and 28 and having their lower ends hinged to the underlying rim edges of the carton side walls. A second flap 29 correspond in size with the interior top of the carton and this flap is provided with a key hole slot 30 extending inwardly from one lateral edge with its enlarged portion 31 located centrally of the flap. Side flaps 26a and 26 are scored or creased diagonally along lines 33 and 34 and these flaps fold inwardly along these lines so as to internest with one another in, the manner best illustrated in FIGURE 2. Flap 26b is also preferably provided with a C-shaped slit 36 to provide a handgrip 37 useful in quickly opening top 13 and in dropping the aerial delivery assembly over the side of an aircraft.

Parachute 11 is preferably made of inexpensive material as film-like sheet plastic such as polyethylene. A particularly effective and efficient type of parachute compirses an elongated tube heat-sealed closed across one end as indicated at 40 (FIGURE The lower side wall portions of this tubular bag are also preferably formed with arcuate shaped slits 41. Crescent shaped slits approximately 12 inches long with their ends pointed upwardly are found to be highly effective in admitting air and in opening automatically as the parachute blossoms after being dropped from an airplane. Desirably the parachute is sufficient long to permit a standard container 44 (FIGURE 4) to be inserted in its inlet end and to be securely anchored thereto as by suitable ties 45 and 46.

If additional cushioning is desirable, it is preferable to insert a cushion against the bottom of carton 44. This cushion may have a spongy soft core 47 formed of any lightweight inexpensive material such as cellular or sponge Plastic. This pad may be reinforced if desired with protective sheets of paper, sheet plastic or corrugated paper 48 bonded to its opposed faces.

The preparation of the emergency aerial drop is accomplished very simply. Prior to use, the parachute, cushioning pad and the outer protective container are compactly packaged and stored in fiat condition. At the point of use, the package of emergency materials 44 is inserted in the inlet end of the parachute along with a cushion if this is desired. Tie 45 is then applied across the open end of the parachute following which the bag is drawn taut along the sides and across the other end as tie 46 is applied. The supplies are then lowered into the open top of outer container 12 and tie portion 46 ofthe parachute is inserted along key hole slit 30 until centered in enlargement 31 of the key hole. When the supplies are fully seated in the bottom of the outer container, smaller flap 29 at the top of the container is held in closed position with the enlargement of the key hole seated about tie 46.

The main body of the parachute is then folded and laid across the top of flap 29 following which side flaps 26a and 260 are pressed inwardly along crease lines 33, 34 as center flap 26b is pressed downwardly against the top of the carton. If desired a piece of gummed tape may be applied across the edge of flap 26b to hold the to flap 13 in folded position while being handled and loaded aboard aircraft.

When the aircraft is over the drop zone, the gummed strip, if one is used, is severed and handgrip 37 is used to cast the unit from the aircraft while pulling the onepiece top flap 13 to its upright open position as illustrated in FIGURE 3. As the assembly falls through the air, air rushes up the sides of the container and enters the open said of the top flap to eject the flimsy parachute upwardly. The uprushing air passing along the sides of the parachute force the upper lip of the slits 41 outwardly and the lower lips inwardly to channel large streams of air into the interior of the parachute. This causes the parachute to blossom and become inflated very quickly.

It is found that the assembly, as it falls through the air, assumes the general position shown in FIGURE 5 with the side wall attached to flap 26b inclined acutely to the vertical. This large flat area exposed to the up wardly flowing air is found to supplement the action of the bottom surface of carton 12 in providing highly effective lift supplementing that of the parachute proper in slowing the descent of the assembly to the ground.

By utilizing the principles of the present invention, it is found that a container 44 containing approximately 20 pounds of supplies can be lowered to the ground from aircraft with no or relatively slight damage to the supplies themselves, And this is true despite the fact that the entire assembly is made of readily-available lightweight inexpensive materials. The components can be manufactured rapidly using existing equipment, and can be assembled in the field by unskilled persons without need for tools or fastening device expedients of any kind other than the interlocking action of the components themselves.

It is also emphasized that in accordance with the principles of this invention the supplies themselves are preferably surrounded and enclosed by the impervious film of plastic or similar film material at the lower end of parachute 11. The inlet end proper of the parachute is gathered and clamped tight in a waterproof manner by tie45 and the same procedure is followed in completing tie 46 at the upper end of the inner container. It will therefore be understood that with the supplies packaged in this manner for aerial delivery, they are securely enclosed within a moisture-proof Wrapping and remain in this condition as delivered to the ground. Accordingly, the supplies may be dropped over land or water. Since the sealed container is lighter than water, the entire drop remains buoyant and the contents are maintained in a waterproof condition for an extended period and until recovered from the water and opened.

While the particular aerial drop assembly for emergency supplies herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

1 claim:

1. An aerial drop assembly for delivering a carton of material from a flying aircraft comprising, an elongated inverted plastic bag adapted to have a carton of material seecured within the inlet end of said bag, an outer carton enclosing said carton of material with the main body of said plastic bag collapsed at the top portion of said assembly, said plastic bag having a plurality of air inlets along the sides thereof and being inflatable by air entering said inlets as the assembly drops from an aircraft and being thereby effective to slow the descent of the assembly as it gravitates to the ground.

2. An inexpensive throw-away aerial drop assembly for delivering emergency supplies from a low flying aircraft, said assembly comprising, a film-like elongated bag adapted to have its inlet end inverted and secured to a container for emergency supplies, an outer container enclosing said emergency supplies having a top collapsible about said supplies and arranged to protect the collapsed bag until ready for use, and the side walls of said bag having provision for admitting ambient air and to entrap this air to provide a parachute effective to slow the descent of said assembly sufiiciently to avoid injury to the emergency supplies as they strike the ground.

3. An assembly as defined in claim 2 characterized in the provision of a lightweight thick shock-absorbing cushion inserted -between the bottom of said outer container and the bottom of said container for emergency supplies.

4. An assembly as defined in claim 2 characterized in that said outer contained is formed of conventional corrugated paper material.

5. An assembly as defined in claim 3 characterized in that said cushion comprises a thick plaque of soft spongy plastic material sandwiched between a pair of protective facing members.

6. An assembly as defined in claim 5 characterized in that said protective facing members comprise corrugated plaques.

7. A parachute-like bag for use in the emergency delivery of material by aerial drop, said bag comprising an elongated tube closed at one end and having openings in the side walls thereof formed to channel inflating-air into the interior of the bag as the same falls through the air while inverted, and means for securing the open end of said bag to an object intended to be delivered by aerial drop.

8. A parachute-like bag as defined in claim 7 characterized in that said bag is formed of film-like sheet plastic having a heat-fused seam closing the closed end thereof.

9. A parachute-like bag as defined in claim 7 characterized in that said side wall openings comprise arcuateshaped slits arranged circumferentially of the bag and distributed thereabout, and the air outside the bag walls being effective to urge the upper lips of the slits outwardly .and the lower lips inwardly to channel air into the bag to inflate the same as it gravitates toward the ground.

10. A collapsible throw-away outer container for use in protecting emergency supplies during the aerial dropdelivery thereof, said container comprising a four-sided open-ended tube of corrugated material having a plurality of flaps hingedly connected to either end thereof, one set of said flaps being foldable into an interlocking generally flat closure for the bottom of said container, the flaps at the top end thereof including one flap coextensive with'one side wall of the container and having a key hole slot opening through one lateral edge of the flap and terminating near the center of the flap, and the remaining flaps being hinged to one another and extending along three contiguous side walls of said container with two of said flaps being diagonally creased to internest as said three flaps are collapsed against said one flap.

11. A container as defined in claim 10 characterized in that the middle one of said three hingedly connected flaps at the top of said container lies outermost when said top is closed and has handgrip means thereon for use in opening said top flap as the container is tossed from an aircraft.

12. A container as defined in claim 10 characterized in that said open-ended tube is creased lengthwise thereof and so as to be collapsible into a compact flat condition for shipment to the place of assembly about emergency supplies being prepared for aerial drop delivery.

13. An aerial drop delivery assembly comprising means holding emergency supplies compactly packaged and including an outer container having three top closure flaps hinged to three upper rim edges of said container and closeable against a folded parachute secured to said container centrally of its interior top portion, the three top flaps of said assembly being adapted to snap open into an upright position as the assembly leaves an aircraft, and said folded parachute being extendable upwardly and inflatable by air currents flowing upwardly along said upright flaps and by air currents entering the fourth side without an upright flap.

14. That improved method of delivering emergency supplies via aerial drop which comprises, inserting emergency supplies in the inlet end of a parachute-like bag having air inlet slits in the side walls thereof and anchoring the supplies in place in said inlet end, placing the supplies so wrapped in a carton having a common fl-ap along three rims edges thereof, folding a flap attached to the fourth rim edge inwardly over the supplies with the major portion of the main body of the parachute bag extending through an opening in said last mentioned flap and compactly collapsed thereagainst, folding said common flap against the collapsed parachute bag, dropping said carton from an aircraft with the top uppermost while lifting said common flap to its upright position along three side walls of said carton so that the air rushing upwardly past the fourth side Wall picks up and extends said parachute bag as air enters the slits therein to inflate the parachute, said inflated parachute in cooperation with said common flap then being effective to support the carton at an angle to the vertical whereby the inflated parachute and the upwardly rushing air are efiective to slow the descent of the carton.

15. A parachute-like bag for use in the emergency delivery of material in moisture-proof condition by aerial drop, said bag comprising an elongated tube of impervious Waterproof sheet material and having openings in the side walls thereof operable to channel inflating-air into the interior of the bag as it falls through the air while inverted with the inlet portion thereof wrapped about emergency supplies with axial spaced portions of said parachute to either side of the supplies snugly gathered and secured in a waterproof tie to render the enclosed supplies buoyant in a body of water.

16. That improved method of delivering emergency supplies via aerial drop which comprises, packaging the supplies in a container therefor, inserting said container into the inlet end of a tubular parachute of film-like impervious material closed at the end thereof remote from said inlet end and provided with air inlet openings in the side walls thereof spaced from the portion thereof surrounding said container, gathering the side walls of said parachute about the opposite ends of said container and securing said gathered walls together in a water-tight manner to provide a waterproof buoyant enclosure for said container adequate to float the same on water if the container lands in water, and dropping said parachute and container over the side of a low flying aircraft whereby the ambient air enters said air inlet openingsv to inflate said parachute and slow the descent of said supplies.

17. That method defined in claim 16 characterized in the step of inserting said container of supplies and the surrounding portion of said parachute in an outer protective container with the remainder of the parachute collapsed and folded against the top of said protective container until the assembly is dropped over the side of an aircraft.

18. That method defined in claim 16 characterized in the step of inserting a thick shock absorbing pad of lightweight buoyant material between said two containers on the ends thereof remote from the closed end of said parachute. v 7

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,793,729 2/1931 A-skam 244l38 2,587,448 2/ 1952 Eakin 244-138 FOREIGN PATENTS,

1,295,993 5/ 1962 France.

FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Primary Examiner.

MILTON BUC HLER, Examiner.

A. E. CORRIGAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN AERIAL DROP ASSEMBLY FOR DELIVERING A CARTON OF MATERIAL FROM A FLYING AIRCRAFT COMPRISING, AN ELONGATED INVERTED PLASTIC BAG ADAPTED TO HAVE A CARTON OF MATERIAL SECURED WITHIN THE INLET END OF SAID BAG, AN OUTER CARTON ENCLOSING SAID CARTON OF MATERIAL WITH THE MAIN BODY OF SAID PLASTIC BAG COLLAPSED AT THE TOP PORTION OF SAID ASSEMBLY, SAID PLASTIC BAG HAVING A PLURALITY OF AIR INLETS ALONG THE SIDES THEREOF AND BEING INFLATABLE BY AIR ENTERING SAID INLETS AS THE ASSEMBLY DROPS FROM AN AIRCRAFT AND BEING THEREBY EFFECTIVE TO SLOW THE DESCENT OF THE ASSEMBLY AS IT GRAVITATES TO THE GROUND. 